


Reflections

by TheMightyFlynn



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Bonding, Hurt/Comfort, Mpreg, Multi, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-14
Updated: 2016-08-14
Packaged: 2018-08-08 19:44:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7770574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMightyFlynn/pseuds/TheMightyFlynn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Severus, Harry and Draco reflect on how they came to be together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reflections

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the slashorific fest on livejournal from the prompt:  
> A desperate disease requires a dangerous remedy. - Guy Fawkes
> 
> There's a part towards the end that changes tense from past to present. It was done on purpose! :)

**1\. Severus**

The first few weeks after the war had been the worst for him. Not only had Nagini managed to deal him a great amount of damage, resulting in massive blood loss and the temporary loss of his voice, but the addition of the piece of Voldemort’s soul had made her rather poisonous as well. Severus had spent five weeks fighting off infection after infection in the closed ward of St. Mungo’s set aside for those considered too dangerous to be near so-called ‘normal’ witches and wizards. Sitting alone in his tiny room, he had practiced speaking normally again; had tried to give himself the assistance that he had not been receiving from any of the Healers. It had all been to no avail, however.

 _You will never speak again_ , one Healer had informed him.

 _You will have to go into rehabilitation to learn how to be able to speak again_ , the second had told him.

 _Perhaps you should have chosen the right side of the war_ , had been the sage advice of the final idiot Severus had seen.

 _Fuck you all_ , Severus had reacted.

Discharging himself from the hospital against Healer’s orders had made the papers. Rita Skeeter, still the darling of _The Daily Prophet_ at the time, had actually managed to follow him back to Spinner’s End, but a well-timed Confundus Charm had seen her wandering the streets in a daze. Surprisingly enough, she had never bothered to return.

He had been prepared to fight through his troubles on his own. That was how he had survived the rest of his life, after all: push everyone else away to protect both himself and them. It only made sense. It seemed, however, that he was not to be allowed to rot away in his parents’ old home.

Draco was the first to arrive on his doorstep, two days after Severus had discharged himself from the hospital. It took Severus several minutes to manage to make it all the way down through the house to the front door and by that time, Draco had been on the verge of breaking the door down. The wild look in his eyes had told Severus everything he had needed to know: he was not going to be allowed to just lie down and die.

Draco had done everything he could for him, from making appointments with specialists, to making sure he ate properly, to even changing his dressing when he could not manage it himself. Severus knew that if it had not been for Draco's insistence that he look after himself and not give up, then that was exactly what he would have done. Still, despite the odds, Severus managed a few words a mere month after Draco had arrived. From there, it evolved into a few sentences. The day he managed to curse Draco out for being stupid enough to believe that one simple potion sold in Knockturn Alley could cure whatever was wrong with him had been a day for celebrations. Draco was warm and eager to please. He was a swift learner who picked up on the tiny hints Severus gave off. In short, he was everything that Severus had been craving in a lover.

When two months had passed and Severus had still been unable to fend off the poison, he had begun subtly preparing for the final stage of his life. He had organised all of his affairs, gifting Spinner’s End and the remains of his fortune to Draco in thanks for his help over the past few months. When Draco had discovered this, he had had what basically amounted to a temper tantrum.

 _You are not allowed to give up on me_ , he had practically screamed in Severus’ face. _We will find a way to fight this and you will not die on me!_

Draco's solution had horrified Severus at first. The very next day, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger had appeared on his doorstep. Granger wielded an unholy amount of books, but it was the determined glint to Potter’s eyes that had really stunned Severus. Together, the three of his ex-students had managed to work out that Severus’ problems all stemmed from Nagini’s bite.

 _Brilliant_ , Severus had informed them. _Just the kind of amazing detective skills I would have expected from a crack team of untrained Healers._

His sarcasm had gone unappreciated. The three of them had worked diligently every day and half the night. Draco, it appeared, had a natural talent for the Healing arts, while Granger had the research skills to be able to make real progress. Potter, on the other hand, had the connections needed for them to speak to any Healer they needed to. In those days, no one had been stupid enough to deny The Saviour anything, it had seemed.

The only reason any of them had gotten any sleep had been because Severus had threatened to lock them in the library with no access to the facilities or to food. Eventually, however, their diligence had paid off.

_Your magic is depleting._

_You need someone powerful to bolster your magic; to bring it under control._

_I read about this bonding ceremony we could perform…_

_If you don’t go through with it, you’ll die._

Their words had washed over Severus as though he was in a daze. A bond had been the furthest thing from Severus’ mind when he had begun seeking a treatment for his symptoms and he had railed against the idea.

 _I refuse to drag another down with me_ , he had snarled directly into Draco's face. _This is my cross to bear and no one else’s. No one deserves to be shackled to a lost cause for the rest of their natural lives._

Severus had had no idea whether he was losing some of the intimidation skills he had nurtured so carefully over the years, but not one of them had even flinched. Granger had even had the audacity to roll her eyes.

_Can’t you see?_

It was such a simple question that it had pulled Severus up. Stepping back from her, he had glanced around the room. Both Draco and Harry had been watching him with similar looks of determination.

**2\. Harry**

It had all started with a desperate call for help from Draco one night a few months after the end of the war. He had looked so forlorn that Harry had been unable to sneer at him the way he had wished to.

 _It’s Severus, he’s sick_ , Draco had informed them. _We can’t find a solution; can’t even discover why he isn’t getting better. I need your help._

Harry hadn’t even had to think about it: he and Hermione had collected what they had needed and made their way over to Cokeworth the next day. Severus and Draco's relationship had been clear from the beginning; at least to Hermione. There had been what Harry considered to be an excessive amount of eye rolling on her part when he had finally cottoned on to what had been happening. He had watched the two of them closely after that, taking in all the subtle hints at how much they had cared for each other. Harry’s chest had ached at the idea, but he had stayed away, offering only the assistance they had requested of him.

That had all changed, however, the second Hermione had finally discovered the book that told them exactly what was wrong with Severus. It was a book she had collected from Malfoy Manor, with Draco's permission, of course. The amount of information on Dark spells and enchantments had stunned Harry, but, right at the very back of the book in faded writing, had been a chapter on Horcruxes. The signs to look out for, the effects of being in close proximity to one, and the list of the ways to destroy them had all been useless to them at that stage. It had been the _Effects On Living Vessels_ chapter that they had needed. Hermione had discovered that when one made a living being a Horcrux, it had an effect on all aspects of their being. Animals became much more aggressive and developed defences that they did not have naturally, whereas humans became over-confident to the point of recklessness, as well as developing a short temper. Harry had chosen to ignore the significant look Hermione had shot him.

The need for a powerful bond-mate to balance out Severus’ failing magic had been the opportunity Harry had been waiting for. Draco, of course, had objected vehemently, but not as vehemently as Severus himself.

 _You damn fool, Potter_ , Severus had yelled so loudly that his voice had failed him. _Do you have no concept of how dangerous bonding ceremonies are? Of how many witches and wizards who were much more capable of controlling their magic than you have died due to one tiny mistake?_

His objections had fallen on deaf ears, however. Harry had taken Draco aside and had managed to talk him around; to convince him that between the two of them, they could balance Severus out perfectly. He was sick of losing people and he would be absolutely damned if he was going to lose Severus to his own stubbornness. He had known for a fact that both Draco and Severus were intelligent enough to not make a mistake with the spell. The fact that Hermione had been working on it with them had only reinforced that sentiment.

It had taken another three weeks before the spell met the high standards of the three who had been tweaking it. Hermione had drilled Harry on his role in the ceremony until he was absolutely certain that he had been dreaming about it, but he had known better than to object.

 _Firecall me tomorrow to let me know you’re all safe_ , had been her final words to him before leaving that night.

Harry’s nerves had nearly overwhelmed him when he had entered the main bedroom of Spinner’s End that night. The formal robes that Hermione had insisted he wear had swished around his calves, making him feel about as foolish as Severus had accused him of being. The sight that greeted him had told him that he had made the right decision, though: Draco stood with his back facing Harry, his pale hair turning multiple shades of red and orange as the sun set outside the windows; Severus, on the other hand, had stood firm, his arms crossed across his middle and scowl firmly in place. Harry’s stomach had flipped pleasantly at the sight.

 _This is your last chance to come to your senses_ , Severus had announced and Harry had realised that he had been speaking to Draco as well as to him. _Are you absolutely certain that you are willing to risk your lives to do this?_

Being drawn into a deep kiss by Draco had silenced Severus for several seconds. When the two of them surfaced, Harry had stepped closer.

_We’re certain._

Standing together in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, they had begun the ceremony. Severus had asked the Gods to bless their union, Draco had invoked the rights, and Harry had drawn from his and Draco’s magical reserves. The deep blue of the bonding magic had swirled up and flowed around them, joining them together in a bond deeper than anything else they would ever know. Severus had swayed on the spot, but Harry had known better than to move until the ceremony had been completed. One tiny deviation from the prescribed formula and everything would go to hell. Including, probably, them.

The bonding magic had swirled for longer than Harry was comfortable with. Severus’ eyes had closed halfway through, causing Harry’s heart to race. His hands had clenched with the need to reach out; to steady him. After everything they had been through over the past few months, there had been no way Harry was about to lose him – them – due to something like this.

It took a few minutes, but the magic had finally begun to settle down. The deep blue had lightened into a pale sky blue as it settled onto their skin, then sunk in. Harry’s eyes had also closed as he had begun to become aware of a sense of two others in the very back of his mind. He had taken a deep breath and let it out slowly as he had realised that the bonding had worked; that they had managed it.

It had been then that Draco had collapsed.

**3\. Draco**

Smiling as he watched Albus, Scorpius and Lily running around the backyard of Malfoy Manor, Draco sighed happily. The seven years since the end of the war had certainly had their moments, but the births of their three children had been some of the highlights for Draco. Rubbing his hand slowly over his swollen belly that carried their fourth and fifth (and last!) children, he couldn’t help thinking about just how lucky they had been.

He was absolutely certain that, if it hadn’t been for his and Harry’s interference, Severus would have just allowed himself to wither away in Spinner’s End in that first year after the end of the war. With the way his body had reacted to Nagini’s Horcrux-granted venom, Severus had been in extremely poor shape when Draco had finally tracked him down. He had been in even worse shape when Draco had gone running to Harry for assistance. Draco had been determined, however. He had even accepted the assistance of Granger, whom he still didn’t fully trust, despite the amount of time they had spent together over the years.

The bonding ceremony had been… an interesting experience. He had known that it was entirely possible that one, or even all three of them, would not survive the ceremony. That was a risk that he had been willing to take, however. Draco had woken on the floor of what had been his and Severus’ bedroom – that was now his, Severus’ and Harry’s – with both Severus and Harry kneeling over him, their expressions full of fear. The setting sun through the windows had given both of their pitch black hair a red-ish tint that Draco had become slightly distracted by as he blinked them both into focus.

_Did it work?_

That had been the first of many times over the years that it had looked to Draco as though both Severus and Harry had wanted to strangle him. The second part of the bonding that had followed, however, had been much better. It had also resulted in Scorpius’ conception. Draco's newfound ability to conceive children had been a surprise consequence of their bonding night to all three of them and they had taken full advantage of it. Albus and Lily had followed along two and four years after Scorpius and now he was pregnant with twins. Nine months pregnant, to be exact. Harry had been getting a little worried about this pregnancy – about Draco specifically – but Draco had calmly informed him that it was perfectly normal to go to full term with twins if he had had children previously. The past seven years of his Healing apprenticeship and subsequent employment at St. Mungo’s must have backed his diagnosis up in Harry’s mind, as he had dropped the matter soon after.

Five children was to be, apparently, the absolute limit, according to the shock on Severus’ face when the midwife had informed them that Draco was expecting the twins. Draco knew, though, that Severus loved each of their children and would die for them if necessary.

“Draco?”

Placing his hand on the lower part of his belly so as to make turning easier, Draco smiled when he caught sight of Harry exiting the door that led into the formal living room. Harry had filled out nicely over the past seven years, with his shoulders widening and his chest broadening due to his work as the lead Seeker for the Chudley Cannons. Draco couldn’t help running his eyes over Harry as he walked towards him, taking in his skin-tight training leathers and mussed up hair.

“It was looks like that that got you into this position in the first place, you know.”

Harry knelt down beside Draco's lounge chair, placed one of his rough hands over Draco's on his belly and leant in to draw him into a deep kiss. Harry’s skin was a little chilled from where he had been flying all day, but his mouth was warm and inviting. Draco opened for him willingly when Harry’s tongue pressed against his lips. The bond between them seemed to shimmer with the contact and Draco let out a breathless moan.

“Harry…”

Harry’s hand slid off from Draco's so he could rub soft, comforting circles across his belly. “I love you, Dray.”

Opening his eyes, Draco caught a glimpse of the warmth that radiated from Harry whenever he looked at either Draco or Severus. “I love you, too.”

“How touching.”

Draco's eyes flicked automatically back to the doorway. Severus exited the house in the next few seconds, his black robes swirling around his feet. Draco smiled when Harry gave his stomach one last pat before standing and moving close to Severus. He watched as Harry drew Severus into a kiss that looked to be the equal of the one he had graced Draco with a few minutes before. The two of them were always so fascinating to watch, especially when their bodies were entwined the way Draco could easily tell that Harry wanted right at that moment. He pulled back after only a few seconds, however.

“I love you too, you grumpy bugger.”

With that, Harry re-entered the house, but not before flashing Draco a wide grin. Shaking his head, Draco turned his attention fully to Severus. The constant fear over losing Severus that had gripped Draco for all those months back when he was eighteen had taken a long time to dissipate. The feeling had apparently been reciprocated, if the over-protectiveness of his bond-mates after the ceremony was any indication. Severus and Harry had shielded Draco from the press almost completely during his first pregnancy, knowing that he was still feeling his way through this new experience. The one person foolish enough to challenge them – Rita Skeeter, of course – had found herself somehow transported to the very centre of Australia.

None of them knew whether the nightmares Draco had suffered from after the bonding ceremony were connected to whatever it was that had caused him to lose consciousness, but Draco had found himself rather reluctant to delve deeper into it. As long as Severus and Harry were there with him when he woke – dripping with sweat and his heart racing – then he knew that he was safe. He had his bond-mates and his children and that was all that mattered. He huffed out a breath when one of the babies kicked him in the bladder. Severus was by his side in a second.

“Draco?”

“This one’s definitely a Beater, Sev.”

“Harry will be pleased: we will now have a full Quidditch team if you include him and Teddy.”

The bond shimmered again when Severus worked his hand up beneath Draco's shirt so he could place it flat on his belly. Whichever baby had been kicking Draco for most of the morning chose that second to lash out at Severus as well, causing Severus to chuckle.

“He certainly is active, isn’t he?”

“ _She_.” Both Draco and Severus turned to see Lily standing at the top of the stairs, her hands placed firmly on her hips. “You’re not allowed to have any other boys, Papa. We have too many boys here already.”

“Do you want to feel your sister kicking?”

Lily, being the youngest of their three, had never had the opportunity to feel any of her siblings kicking, so the look of wonder on her face when Severus positioned her hand just in time to feel the baby kicking had Draco smiling wide at her. Adjusting his position on the lounge chair, he moved her onto the edge so she was sitting beside him.

“You kicked like this, you know.”

“No, I didn’t!”

Draco grinned. “Sure you did, but you aimed more for my ribs than anything else.”

“No!”

With that, Lily stood and rushed off down the stairs again, calling to her brothers and laughing about being able to kick Draco's ribs before she was even born. Draco couldn’t help shaking his head in wonder.

“She gets that energy from Harry, I am sure of it.”

Smiling up at Severus, Draco rubbed his hand absentmindedly against his belly again. “She actually takes after you more than either of us.”

The look that Severus shot him just before he knelt down to draw him into a soft kiss told Draco that he thought him at least slightly insane. And perhaps he was, he considered. It had been him, after all, who had pushed Severus to hold on and not give up; him who had taken the initiative and contacted Harry and Granger; him who had managed to finally convince Severus that the bond was the only way that he would survive. Draco had been the driving force behind this little family they had formed and he was more than willing to take all the credit for it. If wanting to be happy and safe was insane, then he was proud to claim that mantle as well. He sighed contentedly when Severus pulled back.

“You know I love you as well, right?”

“Indeed, and I am grateful for that fact every day of my life.”

Draco couldn’t help the huge smile that he gave in response when Severus stood and made his way back into the house. Perhaps their relationship was unconventional and perhaps he was slightly insane because of it, but Draco knew he would never have had it any other way.


End file.
